The Eastern Region Army Group, es, Grupo de Ejércitos de la Región Oriental (GERO), was a military formation of the

Spanish Republican Army The Spanish Republican Army ( es, Ejército de la República Española) was the main branch of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic between 1931 and 1939. It became known as People's Army of the Republic (''Ejército Popular de la Repú ...

during the last phase of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. It was established in June 1938 as a response to the splitting in two of the territory under the sovereignty of the

Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 A ...

after the Central Region Army Group ''(GERC)'', under the command of

General Miaja A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED On ...

, had been set up in the central-southern region of Spain. This

army group An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area. An army group is the largest field organization handled by ...

of the Spanish Republican military lasted until the

Fall of Catalonia The Catalonia Offensive ( ca, Ofensiva de Catalunya, es, Ofensiva de Cataluña) was part of the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalist Army started the offensive on 23 December 1938 and rapidly conquered Republican-held Catalonia with Barcelona (t ...

on 9 February 1939.

History

The Republican territory split in two

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

had become an isolated

enclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

following the rebel Aragon Offensive in the spring of 1938. Since the loyalist armies of the former Aragon Front were in a state of disarray after the Republican debacle, the President of the Spanish government

Juan Negrín Juan Negrín López (; 3 February 1892 – 12 November 1956) was a Spanish politician and physician. He was a leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español, PSOE) and served as finance minister and ...

requested the Chief of Staff commander of the Republican Army, Vicente Rojo, to reorganize the Republican forces. Owing to the loyalist territory having been split in two by the rebels, General Rojo saw the need of establishing two

s in order to coordinate the specific defence requirements of each zone. Thus after the establishment of the ''GERO'', a new Eastern Army was organized in the Catalan territory, in charge of the defensive line of the

Segre River The Segre ( or ; french: Sègre) is a river tributary to the Ebro (''Ebre'' in Catalan) with a basin comprising territories across three states: France, Andorra and Spain. The river Segre, known to Romans and Greeks as Sicoris, and to the Arabs ...

. Meanwhile, in the southern sector the

Ebro Army The Ebro Army (Spanish: ''Ejército del Ebro'') was a Spanish Republican army during the Spanish Civil War. History The army was formed in April 1938 as the Autonomous Group of the Ebro (Spanish : ''Agrupación Autónoma del Ebro''), but was rena ...

was established, which would have as its goal to eventually reunite the northeastern Republican area with the larger zone further to the southwest. The commander of both armies was a prestigious military figure, General

Juan Hernández Saravia Juan Hernández Saravia (24 July 1880 – 3 May 1962) was a high-ranking Spanish military officer of the Republican government forces during the Spanish Civil War. Biography Hernández Saravia was born into a bourgeois family, and continued a ...

, who had been the former commander of the

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

and the Levantine Army. Right from the moment of its inception the Eastern army group saw action at the

Segre Front The Battle of Segre is the collective name of a series of battles that took place along the Segre River between 4 April 1938 and 3 January 1939 during the Spanish Civil War, after the Nationalist Faction had broken the lines of the Spanish Repub ...

where there were constant battles along a long defensive line of Republican positions and fortifications. During most of 1938 there would be numerous attacks, counterattacks and skirmishes from both sides along the Segre River. A great number of manpower and material was sent to the Eastern Army in that front, which was a crucial line for halting the devastating advances of the Francoist armies and to keep crucial

hydroelectric dam Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

s from falling into the hands of the enemy. Eventually the Spanish Republic was able to hold unto that line until the beginning of January 1939 when it became impossible to keep holding the resistance in the Segre against the overwhelming pressure of the rebels. To complement the battles in western Catalonia the high command quarters of the Republican Armed Forces, led by General Vicente Rojo, were planning a large-scale operation with the aim to reconnect the two isolated enclaves in which the Spanish Republic had been recently divided. Thus on 25 July 1938 Republican troops crossed the Ebro River successfully beginning the Battle of the Ebro. After establishing some bridgeheads, loyalist forces advanced against the rebel-held towns of

Gandesa Gandesa () is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Terra Alta, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. History In the place known as ''Coll del Moro'' there is an ancient Iberian archaeological site belonging to the Ilercavones tribe that l ...

and

Vilalba dels Arcs Vilalba dels Arcs (Villalba de los Arcos in Spanish) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Terra Alta in Catalonia, Spain. This town is located in a wine-producing area.counteroffensive lost steam. Although the Republican operation failed, the

dug in within a protracted defensive battle that lasted four months. There were heavy casualties on both sides, but especially on the Republican side, which lost irreplaceable military units and most of its former high morale.

Catalonia Offensive

During the Battle of the Ebro the rebel military had inflicted severe losses to the Republican Armed Forces in Catalonia. At that critical time the ''GERO'' still had about 300,000 troops, 360 pieces of artillery and about 200 tanks and armoured vehicles. Also, the General Staff of the Republican Military had kept the commanding structure of the Eastern Region Army Group intact, still under the command of General Juan Hernández Saravia. However, after the numerous casualties —including the many invaluable battle-hardened veterans— , most of the troops of the army group were inexperienced recruits and, owing to the heavy material losses endured, the loyalist troops saw a marked reduction in their ability to operate.La Segunda República y la Guerra
/ref> To compound matters, the Catalan sector was a bad strategic location bound by Francoist territory on the Spanish side, the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

on the other, and, even if in the north it still held the French border, non-interventionist France was unreliable at best, when not overtly hostile to the Spanish Republic.Hugh Thomas (1976); pp. 867-868; 877 When the Francoist Catalonia Offensive was launched on 23 December 1938, the high command in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

did not fathom that it was a large-scale attack. Thus the rebel faction troops were able to open many gaps in the Eastern Army front, causing some Republican units to flee in panic. In order to try to mend things, the elite V Army Corps led by Enrique Líster was sent to the

Main Line of Resistance A main line of resistance (MLR) is the most important defensive position of an army facing an opposing force over an extended front. It does not consist of one trench or line of pillboxes, but rather a system, of varying degrees of complexity, of ...

, but even after an intense series of combats Lister was only able to contain the massive penetration of the enemy armies for a period of twelve days at the confluence of the Ebro and the

s. An increase of the river flow at the Ebro sector temporarily barred the feared Moroccan troops of General Juan Yagüe from crossing the river. The Francoist attack subsided somewhat until 3 January 1939, when a Fascist Italian tank column forced a retreat of Republican troops in the Segre sector. That same day General Yagüe's Moroccan divisions successfully crossed the Ebro and established a number of bridgeheads. As a consequence of these simultaneous victories towards mid-January it became evident for the Republican armies that they were unable to halt the sheer avalanche of rebel troops that pressured their resistance lines. Putting off any idea of a

counter-offensive In the study of military tactics, a counter-offensive is a large-scale strategic offensive military operation, usually by forces that had successfully halted the enemy's offensive, while occupying defensive positions. The counter-offensive is ...

, or even resistance, all Spanish Republican units began to withdraw towards the north. By then there was great confusion within Republican ranks and Hernández Saravia informed President

Manuel Azaña Manuel Azaña Díaz (; 10 January 1880 – 3 November 1940) was a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1933 and 1936), organizer of the Popular Front in 1935 and the last President of the Repu ...

that his troops had only 17,000 guns.Hugh Thomas (1976); p. 935 Actually, although ill-equipped, the number of guns that the Republican troops had was far higher, but this arbitrary comment is an illustration of the administrative chaos that preceded the Fall of Catalonia.

The Fall of Barcelona and the end of the ''GERO''

Following the

Fall of Barcelona The Catalonia Offensive ( ca, Ofensiva de Catalunya, es, Ofensiva de Cataluña) was part of the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalist Army started the offensive on 23 December 1938 and rapidly conquered Republican-held Catalonia with Barcelona (t ...

on 27 January, Juan Hernández Saravia was relieved of his duties as leader of the Eastern Region Army Group, allegedly for his "defeatism" ''(derrotismo)'', but the real motives went far deeper. General Hernández Saravia had fallen from grace because his views had often conflicted with those of the Chief of the General Staff of the Central Region, Vicente Rojo, and the President of the Council of Ministers,

.Hugh Thomas (1976) p. 947 Hernández Saravia had tried to replace Juan Modesto, the head of the

, whom he saw as self-important and not up to the mark and hand over the command to

Juan Perea ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

, the more competent commander of the Eastern Army, but Modesto was protected by the highest leaders of the doomed Spanish Republic. In an eleventh-hour decision the command of the Eastern Region Army Group was transferred to Enrique Jurado Barrio, but he was not able to organize a line of defence while the whole Northeastern section of the Republican Army was unfit for battle and in the middle of a hasty retreat. Cold, ill-equipped and hungry both the troops and the average citizens were exhausted and had stopped listening to the official

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

telling that a victory against

Fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

was at hand; fear was the pervading mood and what most hoped was not to be treated too badly by the advancing Francoists during the purge of the conquered territory. Since Barcelona was already in rebel hands the most that Jurado Barrio could do was to try to limit the chaos of the desperate withdrawal of the long civilian and military columns towards the border and to evacuate the demoralized Republican troops in a manner as orderly as possible.Hugh Thomas (1976); p. 946 By 5 February most of the military units of the Spanish Republic had crossed the border into

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, where all Spanish Republicans were arrested by the authorities and sent to

French concentration camps Numerous internment camps and concentration camps were located in France before, during and after World War II. Beside the camps created during World War I to intern German, Austrian and Ottoman civilian prisoners, the Third Republic (1871–1940 ...

. On 10 February, when the Francoist forces reached the

frontier post ''The Frontier Post'' is an independent English language daily newspaper founded in Peshawar, Pakistan, in 1985. It publishes from Peshawar, Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, and Quetta. History When the paper was founded in 1985, there were no promi ...

s, the Eastern Region Army Group was already history.

Structure

The Eastern Region Army Group included the armies that were defending

that were still loyal to the Spanish Republic led by General

. It was composed by the following armies: * Eastern Army, ''Ejército del Este''. *

, ''Ejército del Ebro''. Built upon the ''Agrupación Autónoma del Ebro'' that had gathered all the Republican units that had become isolated north of the Ebro River. It would fight the Battle of the EbroRamón Salas Larrazabal, ''Historia del Ejército Popular de la República.'' La Esfera de los Libros S.L. , p. 1846

Order of battle

July 1938

December 1938

Command

;Commander in chief * General of the artillery brigade

(1938-1939). * Brigadier General Enrique Jurado Barrio (1939). ;Commissar * Ángel González-Gil Roldán, of the CNT. ;Chiefs of Staff * Lieutenant Colonel of the General Staff Aurelio Matilla Jimeno. ** 2nd Chief of Staff: Lieutenant Colonel José Coello de Portugal Maisonnave. ; General Commander of Artillery * Lieutenant colonel of artillery Carlos Botet Vehí. ; General Commander of Engineers * Lieutenant Colonel of engineers Fernández Llerena. ; Quartermaster * Lieutenant colonel of administration Fernando Sabio Dutoit. ;Transportation * Lieutenant colonel of artillery Julio Álvarez Cerón. ; Transmissions * Lieutenant Colonel of engineers Rafael Rodríguez Seijas. ; Anti-Aircraft Defense * Lieutenant colonel of artillery José Álvarez Cerón.

References

Bibliography

Michael Alpert Michael Alpert (born 1954, Los Angeles, California) is a klezmer musician and Yiddish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, scholar and educator who has been called a key figure in the klezmer revitalization, beginning in the 1970s. He has ...

(1989); ''El Ejército Republicano en la Guerra Civil'', Siglo XXI de España, Madrid. * * *

Ramón Salas Larrazábal Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name *Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest * ...

(2006); ''Historia del Ejército Popular de la República''. La Esfera de los Libros S.L. * {{Divisions of the Spanish Republic Military units and formations of the Spanish Civil War Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic Army groups of Spain Military units and formations established in 1938 Military units and formations disestablished in 1939